-:-

This is a rewrite of one of my old one-shots.

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, DO NOT READ THIS FANFIC.

Unless, of course, you don't care about knowing about each and every very big character who has died. In which case, go crazy; read it.

You've been warned...

None of this is mine: Characters belong to JK Rowling, and every bit of DIALOG that occurs within the [brackets belongs not to me, but to JK Rowling herself.

Anyway, onwards. This is just a oneshot about the other side of the story, not what happens to the living, but to the dead. I poured all of my soul and grief into it after reading the Deathly Hallows, so I hope it's all right.

Two black-haired young men were zooming along on their broomsticks, each fighting to catch the glimmering golden snitch that fluttered just beyond their grasp, their laughter echoing down to the lone figure who was sitting on the deep green grass, laughing lightly at their antics. James was just beginning to wrap his outstretched fingers around the twittering ball when an unexpected but all too familiar voice called up from behind Lily, who turned around in slight shock. James stopped abruptly and Sirius almost toppled off of his broom on to the former, as Remus Lupin, looking very much as he had at the time of James and Lily's untimely death, walked up next to Lily, his expression a mixture of elation and grief.

James and Sirius skidded to the ground, forgetting about the snitch, which fluttered off into the distance. The next moment, everyone was hugging and laughing and crying all at once, and then the questions came, about how was Harry, and what was happening in the war. Was Voldemort close to his demise? James looked deeply at Remus, who was suddenly silent, after explaining that he had gotten married to the most beautiful and funny and wonderful girl ("You married Tonks!" Sirius had shouted, whooping). James put a hand on his shoulder, and spoke in a soothing tone.

"You'll see her again, Moony. We all end up here, sooner or later... and it's wonderful, it's like being back at Hogwarts, when we had nothing to worry about..." He drifted off, as Lily and Sirius nodded fervently beside him. A lone tear made its way down Remus' face, and he shook his head.

"We had a kid, James. Teddy Remus Lupin," he gave a sort of sad smile, and looked to the ground. "I'll never see him grow up... he'll never know me at all." A look of dawning understanding appeared on James' face, and Lily's skin prickled with sadness, thinking of their own son, Harry. "I made Harry his godfather," Remus added.

Lily hugged Remus tightly. "Harry will be a loving godfather, Remmy. He'll tell him all about how brave and wonderful his father one day when he's all old and gray, he'll come up here to stay with us, and you'll really get to know him properly. I swear it, Remus," She added, tears of sympathy beginning to stream down her cheeks. James and Sirius were adding their own words of encouragement as another voice broke the fog behind the spot that Lily had originally been sitting.

"Remus? Remus? Are you here? Where-" The voice broke off, and Tonks, in all of her pink-haired glory, came barreling down toward them. She leapt up and jumped at Remus with such ferocity that he stumbled and fell backward. She kissed him straight on the lips. "I killed him," She said, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. "He'll never kill anyone again, Remus, I killed him..." She looked up and gasped. "Oh my God, Sirius. Sirius!" She pried herself off of Remus and attacked him next with a bone-crushing hug. As she pulled away, she looked again at Remus, and simply said, "Teddy... Our poor Teddy," Before erupting into heart-wrenching sobs.

Remus and Sirius consoled her, telling her the same thing that had been said to Remus only moments before. She was still quite upset, but had gathered a hold of herself in order to be introduced properly to the Potters. They had been telling and retelling stories of what had happened since James and Lily died, since Sirius died, for what could have been minutes, days or maybe years, when another person walked through the mist, looking quite befuddled.

He had the same hooked nose and sallow skin he had always had, though, like the others, it rather looked as though he was hardly a day over twenty one. Lily shrieked, and enveloped him in a fierce hug.

"Oh God, Sev. Dumbledore told us everything.. Thank you, thank you. I'm so sorry our friendship ended, I'm so sorry I never forgave you..." She broke off, and soon Sirius, James, Remus and Tonks were there also. James reluctantly walked up and shook his hand, before giving in and giving the man he had loathed for so long a one-armed hug.

"Thank you, Sn- Severus. For taking care of Harry."

Sirius nodded to Snape, and Remus took his hand and shook it, with a murmured apology for all of the distrust.

Suddenly, Lily, James, Sirius and Remus felt themselves being wrenched from where they were, they were falling through the sky, tumbling through an abyss. But they never hit the hard ground. One by one, they each opened their eyes. James looked down at his own shadowy pale form, and then over to his friends and wife. They were all smiling, including himself.

Lily smiled the most brightly, looking at her son, who stood before her, trying to take in his every feature, memorising everything. She knew this was it; this was what Dumbledore told them would have to happen, and she knew at that moment that her son was the most courageous person she could think of in the world.

["You've been so brave," She told him, meaning every word of it.

James echoed her feelings, "You are nearly there," He said, "Very close. We are... so proud of you." It was all James could say of his son, though if a word existed that was much much more than "proud," He would have said that instead.

"Does it hurt?" Harry asked, and Lily felt a pang of grief, wishing she had been there to raise him, to love him as a mother should be able to. She didn't know what to say, and Sirius beat her to it.

"Dying? Not at all," he said, and she smiled at James' old friend, appreciating him so very much, "Quicker and easier than falling asleep," he had added.

Lupin, who Lily had forgotten was there, spoke up too,"And he will want it to be quick. He wants it over."

Harry seemed to be slightly reassured, but looked to be stricken with guilt. Lily focused again more on her son, than what he was actually saying, thinking of how things may have been. What if Voldemort was never even born? What if they had made Sirius their secret-keeper...

"They won't be able to see you?" Harry was asking. Sirius answered again.

"We are part of you," he said, "Invisible to anyone else."

Lily nodded though she didn't say anything, and Harry looked straight at her. "Stay close to me," He said, and she did, feeling as though on the very verge of falling into tears. She knew she had to remain calm, though. She never could stay with Harry as he was a child huddling beneath the covers, afraid of the dark, or of monsters. She never got to stay with him as he was sick or upset with his treatment by her sister and her awful husband. But she would stay with him now.

Lily and the others remained with Harry, remembering what Dumbledore had explained to them what seemed so very long ago. He had said that Harry would have to die, but because of one of Voldemort's very many mistakes, he would probably not remain dead. Lily turned away as the rushing sound and green light collided with her son. There was an explosion of white, and suddenly it seemed that they were all back where they had started. Snape looked bewildered, and Tonks rushed up to meet them, asking what had happened. Slowly, they explained in great detail what Harry's real mission had been; his destiny. Everything that Dumbledore had explained to Lily, James and Sirius and everything that it meant for the Wizarding World. It was during this when a certain ginger-haired someone appeared, not from the mist as had everyone else, but from beyond the quidditch field, looking fairly mystified. He caught sight of Remus, Tonks and Sirius, and blinked several times.

"Bloody hell mates, am I dead?" he asked, flabbergasted. Remus, laughing, nodded the affirmative, and Fred looked from the mist, from which a few unrecognizable people were emerging, to Remus to Tonks to Sirius and James and Lily, and finally to Snape. He shook his head. "Bloody hell," He repeated, looking shocked.

"Am I the only person to ever get lost up here?"

-:-

Harry managed to open his bleary eyes from his place on his bed. He had become an Auror, raised his family and become Defense against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. For the past twenty years, he had been Headmaster, and had- quite unbelievably, from the way his life began- lived to the ripe old age of one-hundred-nine. His walls were plastered with smiling photos of his wife, children, grandchildren, friends and parents. Right in the middle was a large photo of himself with Ginny and their three children during their Hogwarts years, and next to it was a chunk of wall from Sirius' old bedroom- on it, a picture of the Marauders during their time at school. Harry had sensed his death creeping upon him- not cold and terrifying like a Dementor, but more as an old friend waiting for the time when they could embrace once more.

Harry rolled onto his side and closed his eyes, and a bright light appeared before them. Soon, he was soaring, past his withered old body and pale smile that remained on his empty face, past Hogwarts and the clouds and up into a light, beautiful mist. He heard voices, familiar and wonderful voices- Fred and George, finally together again and laughing up a storm. Mrs. and Mr Weasley, in light conversation with Lily and Hermione. As Harry walked, he could see now: Ron was soaring in the air, playing quidditch with Bill, who was as young and handsome as he had once been before being attacked by a werewolf. Remus and Tonks were laughing with Sirius, James and, to Harry's very slight astonishment, Snape and someone who could only be Regulus Black.

Off in the distance, was someone who could only be Dumbledore himself, but was more like the Dumbledore who Harry had seen laughing with friends as a young adult. He was holding out a wand and seemed to be explaining something to a young girl, who could only be Ariana. Ariana laughed and waved her own wand, causing beautifully colored butterflies to emerge from its tip. Another young man, who simply had to be the young Aberforth, clapped his hands, grinning widely.

Harry tore his eyes away and finally found the one whom he'd been looking for. Ginny looked as young and beautiful as she had the day that they had married, and was laughing lightly at something Neville and Luna were telling her. Harry broke into a run, and embraced her, laughing. This caught James' attention, and suddenly he, Sirius and the others came running, James hollering, "Lily! LILY!" Harry was engulfed in the loving arms of his friends and family, and it seemed he had been wrong when he had thought that being a wizard was a dream come true. All he really wanted, from the time he was very small, was to be loved.

This was my way of mourning all that has happened in the final installment of the Harry Potter series, hopefully I did it some justice... Reviews would be fantastic, and much appreciated, if you can spare them.